Chapter 9
Tyler
Iwasn’t actually going to get a room at Gracie’s. That was just me being dramatic. I do that. With my father out of town for a few days, I could’ve easily just gone back to the house.
Not that I wanted to. I wanted to go back to Hudson’s. I wanted to do everything that we’d done the night before all over again and more. In fact, I’d had a completely different answer prepared when the little asshole announced he wanted another round.
Then Emery had to go and be noble, the jackass.
Hudson was the one leaving. We were the ones who stood to get hurt.
Though, I guess Emery had been hurt enough the first time Hudson left. Which was wild to me. I was certain once I let Hudson go, he would’ve gone running to Emery, not hightailed it seven hours away. Why cut Emery out as well? I was the one who destroyed him.
So, I suppose, in a way, I’d hurt Emery too.
I think he’d said as much during our smackdown.
Hard to say. I was more caught up in clutching my ribs and trying to dodge the lightspeed punches he was throwing.
Then everything shot right out of my head when he pressed me against that wall.
All I could smell was blood, dirt, and sweat.
All I could feel was the ache of my bones, his body pressed against mine, and his hot breath on my face.
Kind of unfair, being that pretty and holding my life in his hands. How’s a guy to defend himself with a hot, hulking beast of a man sending mixed signals?
Yeah, that kiss last night was definitely my doing. Hud’s spell might’ve dropped my defenses, but I think some part of me had been wanting to do that for a while.
And there I was, getting a hotel room to meet him again. Scandal.
The sky outside the musty windows of Gracie’s Inn had turned pale orange.
I’d left work the moment Emery had told me Hudson was in danger, running back home after learning my father had left town.
The old storehouse in the backyard had all sorts of guns and blades that dad never touched, so I helped myself to anything I thought might take a chunk out of the psycho hunting my baby boy.
Tapping my fingers on the grimy front desk, I checked my phone to see if I had any new messages. My promise to call Hudson soured my gut as I stared at my blank screen. If I called him right now, I’d tell him everything. I wanted to warn him. To be some kind of use.
But I’d let Emery say his piece first. If I didn’t like it, I would tell Hudson everything.
“I have a suite ready for you on the second floor, Tyler,” the perky desk clerk sang, twirling her hair with a finger as she leaned over the wooden countertop. “Lots of room for all sorts of fun.”
“I… Uh…” Em was sure to make fun if I booked a suite. I could already hear the jabs about the little rich boy and his comforts. “Just a standard king, I think.”
The clerk leaned closer to me, puffing out her chest. “Oh, don’t be silly. Gracie would kill me if I put one of the Hargraves in a standard room. I’ll knock the cost down for you, how’s that sound?”
“Oh…” I swallowed, averting my eyes. “You really don’t need to—”
“Schnookums!” A booming voice echoed through the small lobby.
I whipped back to the front door just as Emery entered my space, grabbed the back of my head, and crushed his lips to mine with the sloppiest, wettest kiss I’d ever received in my life.
He pulled off with a loud smack, turning to the clerk. “Just a standard king is good.”
I looked back at the woman in horror, fairly certain I might burst into flames as my entire body flushed from head to toe.
“U-Uhh…” The desk clerk seemed almost as stunned as I was. She quickly blinked away her disbelief, shaking her head with wide eyes as she returned to her computer. “Standard king. Got it.”
Finally coming back to my senses, I shot Emery a look of murder as I took two room keys from the woman. I quickly reached for my wallet, grabbed a hundred-dollar bill and slid it across the counter. “Keep this to yourself, or my father will end us both.”
“Of course, Mister Hargraves.” The clerk shifted into the most professional tone she could muster. She shot me a sympathetic smile, then slipped the bill into her pocket. “Room 114 at the end of the hall.”
Heaving a sigh of relief, I bent down to grab the duffle I’d brought with me, then shoved it into Emery’s chest with all the strength I could muster. Jerk didn’t even flinch, just threw it over his shoulder with ease. “Such a gentleman.”
“Oh, you know me,” Emery gushed loudly, falling into step behind me as I walked away from the front desk as fast as I possibly could. “Gotta keep my stud muffin happy.” An audible clap echoed through the hall as Emery’s hand came down on my ass, making me jump.
Growling in my throat, I shoved the keycard into the lock, wrenched it back out, and threw open the door. Emery strutted right in, dropping the bag onto the bed with a dopey grin. I slammed the door shut behind me, leaning against it and fuming. “Don’t—ever—call me schnookums again.”
I probably should have told him not to kiss me like that again. Not sure why the disgusting pet name was my priority.
Emery belted a laugh, rolling his eyes. “You got it, pookie.”
With another growl, I pushed past him, ripping the zipper of my duffle open. “What did you tell Hudson?”
Emery fell back onto the bed with a thump that shook the whole mattress, lacing his fingers behind his head and staring at the ceiling. “Exactly what I said I would.”
I paused rifling through the random items I’d brought with me, staring at him expectantly. “And?”
“And nothin’,” he said with a shrug. “Said he wasn’t planning on going anywhere anyhow. Didn’t seem bothered. I told you, he can take care of himself.”
“Okay, how did you go from ‘Hudson’s life is in danger’ to ‘He’ll be fine’ just like that?” I snapped, tossing a change of clothes onto the bed. “This some ploy to spoon me again?”
Em shifted to his side, opening his arms with a smirk. “You caught me. Come get it, sugar plum.”
“Pookie was better,” I grumbled, reaching into my bag for the first thing I could find and throwing it at his face.
To my horror, it was the tiniest pair of black briefs I owned.
“Ooh, who’s trying to get who into bed again?” Emery chuckled, balling the underwear in his hand and taking a deep whiff. “Musky.”
“They’re clean, asshole,” I growled, snatching them back.
“Werewolf nose,” Emery said, tapping his nose.
“Slut.”
“You love it,” he sighed, falling back to the bed. “I can smell you getting turned on.” He cast me a sideways glance, looking like sin as he narrowed his eyes. “Just like when I had you pinned after I fucked you up last year.”
With a huff, I turned away to hide the flush on my cheeks. “Everything is turning me on right now, Emery,” I snarled, grabbing the clothes I’d laid out. “I saw a carton of Hudsonville ice cream at the gas station and popped a fucking boner. It’s like—”
“Like maybe he had a point about the spell being incomplete?” Em gave me a shrug, then ran a hand down his face. “Yeah. Maybe we don’t mention that to him.”
“We’d never hear the end of it.” I padded to the bathroom with a sigh. “So, why am I here?”
“Well, I thought it was to hide from Hudson after he hurt your feelings this morning,” he half-shouted to me from the bed.
“You know what I mean!” I called back, peeling off my work clothes.
“And don’t act like you weren’t devastated that he still wants to leave.
” I shrugged on a basic t-shirt, then shimmied into a pair of jeans, waiting for him to say something useful.
“Isn’t that the point of this little hunt of yours?
Make him feel like he’ll be safe if he stays? ”
When he said nothing, I stormed back out, ready to tell him to get out.
The words caught in my throat when I saw him sitting upright on the foot of the bed, shirtless and showing off all that glorious, fiery chest hair on his supernaturally charged pecs.
“Christ, Emery, I’m not about to fool around with you. Not without—”
“Look,” he said, turning his back to me.
“Look at wh—” I’d seen Emery’s bare back before. We used to go swimming together at Hudson’s over summer break. He’d gained plenty more muscle over the course of the last four years, thick ropes bulging along his spine with every subtle movement. A work of art, really.
A work of art painted with deep purple bruises from his shoulders all the way down to the elastic band of his underwear.
“Hudson did that,” he grunted.
“Wh-What?” I pulled back the hand I was tempted to reach out and touch him with as he turned.
“Not on purpose,” he said, shaking his head. “I… kinda snapped at him for the way he was acting last night. Said something out of pocket and…”
“He mentioned he threw you…” I breathed, moving to sit on the bed beside him, leaning back to examine the damage again. “I thought he was full of shit.”
“His powers are coming in hot now that Grams is gone. Did that with just a thought.” Emery snagged his tank top from the bed, pulling it back over his head. “Actually scared the shit out of me for a sec. I thought I saw…” He chewed his lip for a moment. “Never mind. Not important.”
I sat there for a minute, just trying to imagine the moment as he described it.
I don’t think I’d even left a scratch on the guy after fighting him for nearly twenty minutes, and all that damage came from a single blow.
I couldn’t even picture Hudson getting violent.
“Okay… makes me feel a little bit better about leaving him on his own.”
“He’s got the house too,” Emery muttered, pulling out his phone. “The place sits on an intersection of three ley lines. He calls on the magic there, he’ll be unstoppable.”
“And if they surprise him?”